MOBILE, Ala. -- There will be no getting out of jail for Eddie Smith this time.

Edmond H. Smith IV's frequent trips to -- and more significantly from -- jail have gained the curiosity of the local media and the frustration of law enforcement officials over the past couple of years. Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson Jr. complained in November when a judge allowed the outdoorsman out on bail despite the fact that he fled to Costa Rica in 2007 in violation of his probation.

But a federal judge this week ordered Smith locked up pending trial on an ammunition charge.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Cassady cited Smith's lengthy history of skipping court hearings, making special note of his unauthorized trip to Costa Rica when a judge allowed him out of jail to seek medical treatment in New Orleans.

"Mr. Smith obviously ignores court orders until backed into a corner by having an arrest warrant issued," the judge wrote. "He cannot be trusted to abide by release conditions."

Attorney Tom Haas, who began representing Smith this week after the previous defense lawyer withdrew due to nonpayment, asked Cassady today for a hearing to reconsider his ruling. Haas challenged the charge against his client, which accuses Smith of illegal possession of ammunition after his conviction of a felony.

But Haas disputed the previous conviction. He said the February guilty plea on a charge of possession of a firearm following conviction of larceny -- considered a violent crime under Alabama law -- larceny was a misdemeanor because the sentence was less than a year. Haas said Cassady erred when he called it a felony.

"He's got the facts all wrong," Haas said. "This man (Smith) is not guilty of any felony. ... That's basic law school rule."